metallicityn.
/ˌmɛtəˈlɪsᵻti/, /ˌmɛtlˈɪsᵻti/, U.S. /ˌmɛd(ə)lˈɪsᵻdi/ 1. The quality of being metallic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > elements and compounds > metals > [noun] > metallicity
metallicity1831
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > [noun] > quality of being
metalleity1755
metallity?1819
metallicity1831
1831 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 19 188 The..method which Dr. Wollaston employed to discover metallic titanium in the scoria of iron, and to prove the metallicity of the small crystals of titanium.
1870 Philos. Trans. 1869 (Royal Soc.) 159 657 This was tried under the expectation that, owing to the chemical construction of the body, the metallicity of the mercury in regard to its conductivity might appear.
1883 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 32/1 The alchemists..held that mercury..enters into the composition of all metals, and is the very cause of their metallicity.
1914 Philos. Rev. 23 76 This opposition of quantity and quality is..shown..in the qualitative theories of matter from Aristotle down through the Alchemists, and the phlogiston, metallicity, and other theories of modern chemistry, to Ostwald's theory of Energy.
1968 Sci. Jrnl. Oct. 116/3 If a man-like machine approaches perfection the more nearly as it becomes more man-like, its metallicity is a major stumbling block.
1993 Science 6 Aug. 737/2 These findings indicate that the ordered quasicrystals lie outside the realm of metallicity.
2. Astronomy. The proportion of the material of a star, cluster, or galaxy that is an element other than hydrogen or helium, expressed as the ratio of iron to hydrogen (see quot. 1989); the degree to which an object is composed of such elements. Cf. metal n. 1g.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > heavenly body > [noun] > metallicity of
metallicity1969
1969 Astrophysical Jrnl. 157 1279 Stars may be ordered by overall metallicity.
1969 Astron. & Astrophysics 2 226/2 How can we explain the very high metallicity of the field star τ UMa, and the very different chemical composition amongst the stars of one and the same cluster such as the Hyades?
1980 Astrophysical Jrnl. 242 242/1 The age-metallicity relation (AMR) for the disk is an important constraint on theoretical models of galactic evolution.
1989 R. A. Meyers Encycl. Astron. & Astrophysics 653/2 The usual means of quoting metallicity for these clusters..is in terms of the Fe/H ratio. This is normally quoted as a differential measure relative to the sun, as [Fe/H] = log(Fe/H) − log(Fe/H)☉.
1992 Astronomy May 32/2 Another study of LSB galaxies shows they have very low metallicities, meaning they are made almost exclusively of hydrogen and helium.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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